Unnatural
by aloette
Summary: Love is, and can only be described as, a mystery. KyouyaxHaruhi.


Another romantic/fluffy fic. I wrote this as an alternative to the latest manga developments, so there's a bit of a Ch. 62 spoiler, if you can see it. Doesn't matter much; I thought I'd put it out there as a warning just in case. I don't own Ouran obviously because if I did, Haruhi would end up with Kyouya. Woe is me.

Thanks for reading!

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i.

She was out on the terrace, talking to Hikaru.

He asked her for her answer to which she apologized and said no, she couldn't go out with him. They were good friends no matter what, she said. What she did not say was that they were nothing more than that.

When he heard her statement, he felt that it meant that he still had a chance. He could have told her those three words like Hikaru and she might have accepted it. He could have complimented her that despite the fact she was dressed like a man, she was beautiful.

But he didn't.

Instead, he left right after, disappearing into the night, away from the New Year's party. Away from her.

ii.

He was in a rush, something that usually did not happen.

The reason behind this was that Tachibana had been slow with the car today. He hadn't even had time to get his coffee, so he was going to have to resort with store bought. Tachibana parked the car in front of a small coffee shop.

"Do you want a coffee, Tachibana?" he asked, halfway out.

"No, thank you, Kyouya-sama," the man replied.

The bell attached to the door hinge rang throughout the small shop. "Welcome," a voice from inside called out.

"A coffee, black," Kyouya said, and stopped midway. "Haruhi."

"Kyouya-senpai?"

iii.

Today was the day of his flight to America, having received a full scholarship for school there. He would be the first from his family to bless an American campus with the Ohtori name on the list of alumnis. The unsaid expectations were set at a high bar, but Kyouya didn't think much of it, instead allowing his mind drift to another matter.

He hadn't seen her since that day in the coffee shop, that coincidental meeting. He'd heard small bits and ends of talk here and there about her and the other Host Club members. Fashion, dojos, and Tokyo University. Nothing that he hadn't expected.

He was never one to stay in touch; it just wasn't his style. But he figured that they still did.

He wanted to see her though. One more time. He wouldn't see her for another few years at the very least.

Raking his memories of that coincidental day, he left the mansion by himself, wearing a coat and scarf to block the heavy wind.

He stopped, turned, looked around. Tried to recollect the surroundings. Tried not to be lost.

And then he found it. He stopped. He knew without looking that the shop should have opened a few minutes ago.

He waited.

"Kyouya-senpai?" There was huffing and panting behind him.

And turned.

"Haruhi."

iv.

The night of the party, she had been preoccupied with her own thoughts. She was talking with Mei-chan about love and later she said no to Hikaru because she hadn't had any feelings for him. This time, it was not done unknowingly, and not done with any malice intended. There had been a lot going on for her, so maybe that was why she hadn't noticed one man leave the Hitachiin mansion.

She had wanted to talk to him, too, to get to know him better. She felt a small ache in her chest, but she assumed that was from rejecting Hikaru. Maybe she had feelings for Tamaki. Yes, that was probably the case because who else could it be?

After graduating from Ouran, she had met him twice, both outside a small coffee shop where she worked part-time for some extra spending money.

She was still friends with Hikaru. Tamaki had even asked her out.

To the surprise of everyone, she said yes. Even Tamaki looked a bit surprised himself, but quickly recovered with a warm smile.

It was true that she respected him. It was true that she found him a bit bothersome. Tamaki was so full of smile and laughter, which turned her mind away from another someone.

She tried not to think of herself as mean for using him like that because she _did_ like him.

Really, she did. She convinced herself of that.

v.

She graduated from Tokyo University, which meant that the following year, she would begin law school.

During the break, she read ahead in her new books. Took notes. Went to the bookstore again and again.

Tamaki proposed to her. She said yes, and tried not to think how cold the diamond ring felt around her finger.

Tamaki beamed, and she smiled back, but it was the first time she had difficulty giving a natural smile.

vi.

A Japanese classmate of Kyouya's came up to him – Mr. Unapproachable who had every girl in love with him _and_ was number one in the class ­– and asked him if he could give him the notes for next week.

"I'll be out of town," the classmate explained.

Kyouya shrugged. "Not that it's a concern of mine, but shouldn't your priority be studying as opposed to partying?"

The classmate replied, "It's for the engagement party of a family friend. Their son is getting married to this girl. What's her name? I think it was...Harumi? No, wait, Haruhi."

Should he try to make a witty remark or comment as a comeback? Or maybe he should just smile and act accordingly. But instead, Kyouya just nodded, and fought the urge to punch his classmate for not getting Haruhi's name right on the first try.

vii.

It was an engagement party for _her_. It hadn't registered to her as that yet. To her, it seemed to be for someone else. People were congratulating _that_ girl, complimenting _that_ girl on her dress. Not her.

It was too fancy. An entire rented hall that probably (and did) cost millions of yen. And it was for a party that would only last five or six hours at the most.

The food was good though. Was she being a bad person by spending more time with the buffet table than her fiancée?

The air was too stuffy. Too much perfume and fragrance. She left the hall without a word to Tamaki, who was talking to a young daughter from some rich family. He probably wouldn't miss her for a few minutes.

There was someone already there. Maybe he – for sure it was a he – had felt the same way as her, and come out for a few moments to himself.

Already she felt a small bond with this mysterious man. She stood a few feet away from him, leaning on the balcony, not looking at his face.

She heard him move and then stop. She thought she heard him say, "Haruhi."

She turned to meet him face-to-face.

"Kyouya-senpai?"

viii.

She was so close to him, ten feet at the most.

She was just standing there with this shell-shocked look. He said nothing in reply, wondering what awkward words she would say. She stared back at him.

"W-what are you doing here?" she stammered out, looking down at her heels. Why did she always meet him at the strangest times? It made her wonder if he did it on purpose.

"If you've forgotten already, I'm a good friend of Tamaki's. You think I would not be invited to his engagement party?" he replied.

"That's not what I meant, Kyouya-senpai, and you know that," she snapped back. "I mean, you disappear for years – I don't remember how many – and suddenly you're back."

"Is there something wrong with that?" he asked, and he stepped closer to her. He wanted to see her. He wanted to see her one more time as an unmarried woman. He wanted to see her as Fujioka Haruhi, not Suoh Haruhi, which, by the way, sounded _really_ bad. Even Ohtori Haruhi sounded better, but not that he was thinking about that.

She stepped back. "No…" She wanted to stop thinking about him. There was no chance for her anyway. That was the conclusion she had come to, and was it not logical? He was rich and she was a commoner with a cross-dressing father. What did he see in her? What _would_ he see in her?

Kyouya gave no reply. He held onto her hand, and he didn't want to let go. He stepped so close to her that he could feel her body, her warmth spreading into his body. He could tell that she had been eating ootoro, and a lot of it at that. Her hair smelled like strawberries. It was a strange combination, ootoro and strawberries, but Haruhi had always had a knack of pulling things off like that. Not that she was aware of it though.

She made no move to back away from him. No indication that she was uncomfortable in the situation. She looked up into his face. Was he going to kiss her? It certainly seemed like that, but why in world would Kyouya-senpai kiss her? What would he have to gain from doing that?

And was he…nervous? He seemed that way to her right now, something that did not strike her as very Kyouya-senpai-ish.

He couldn't make the next move. He couldn't kiss her. Nothing to gain, he thought to himself with a slight chuckle, but it was more out of defense than sound reasoning.

He couldn't kiss her. And that was that.

So he backed away. He left go of her hand, and he thought he heard her sigh a breath of relief. Or maybe it was just breathing. He couldn't tell.

He turned on his heels, and left the balcony abruptly. He left Haruhi standing there. Just like that, he had left.

Tamaki stuck his head out, and called out, "Haruhi! What are you doing here? It's cold."

"Oh." She hadn't registered the cold until Tamaki mentioned it, and she automatically shivered. "Coming."

But her feet weren't moving. Her eyes were stuck onto the spot where Kyouya had stood, where he had almost kissed her.

Tamaki walked towards her. "Are you okay? You've been a little pale all evening."

No reply.

"I knew it! It must have been that orchestra! I knew they weren't very good, and to think that they had been recommended to me, too. Who would have known that they would have underperformed so much as to cause my Haruhi to…" He trailed off.

Haruhi was silent.

"Haruhi," Tamaki said, placing his hands on her shoulders. He shook his head side to side. "Have you not yet realized the truth?"

"Realized what?" she finally said.

"That you're in love with one man but getting married to another."

No answer at first. Then, "WHAT?"

Tamaki sighed. "Haruhi, did you think that you could have hidden your feelings and everything would be okay? Did you think you could fool yourself like that?"

"But…he doesn't…And you…"

"Just because he doesn't show it doesn't mean he doesn't have feelings," Tamaki said. "You know Kyouya. He never shows his emotions, but I would be very surprised indeed if he did not love you."

"But…he left. And this wasn't…the first time…"

"Doesn't that show what a coward you've fallen in love with? Why, Haruhi, a man never runs away from his love. If it's one thing, he will always run towards her!" Tamaki braved a smile before adding, "It's okay, Haruhi. We can't help who we fall in love with."

"Tamaki-senpai…" Haruhi wasn't sure what to say or to do.

"Okay," he said, " then give me that ring back. I've officially dumped you."

Haruhi slowly slid off the ring and handed it to him. It felt like prison chains that had been lifted from her ankles. She stepped towards him, and she wrapped her arms around him because she wanted to cry, yet she didn't.

"He said something about staying here for a few days. If anything, he's at his mansion, or at least, on the way. So run, Haruhi. You don't want to lose him again."

"Tamaki-senpai…" she wasn't sure what to say. "Thank you."

"Come on, give your father one last hug," he said with a weak smile. She complied, and turned to leave. She ran with all her heart.

ix.

That was it.

All of his luggage was here. He made a mental check-list and checked everything off. He had everything now, and Fuyumi was _not_ going to give him any more shampoo.

He had enough as is.

He had decided to make a change of plans. There was no point in staying here anymore; he might as well go back to school. To think, he had played hooky.

Ohtori Kyouya had played hooky.

Didn't matter, he thought with a shake of his head. She was gone, and that was that.

He picked up one luggage, opened the front door, and–

She was standing there.

x.

Haruhi's breathing was heavy and she panted to catch her breath. Her heels were probably ruined by now, but she didn't bother to look. Her dress was probably ravaged, but that didn't matter either.

He was standing there. Good. That meant she had caught him, but wait – what was all that luggage? Did that mean that he had intended to leave her _again_?

Maybe Tamaki-senpai was right about that part about Kyouya-senpai being a coward. A very sexy coward though.

"Were you on your way to leaving me again?" she said amid large breaths.

"Excuse me?" he said. "If I recall correctly, you were engaged to Tamaki."

"Then you must be blind because I don't love him. He's a wonderful person, but that's not the person I love. It's you of all people!" she cried out. There. She had said it, and who knew how Kyouya-senpai was going to react because he was an enigma and his answer could range from amusment to surprise.

It was surprise. He had this shell-shocked look on. "You feel…that way about me?"

"Yes! And I don't care how you feel about me. I've felt this way about you for a long time! And…" She was off, starting from the beginning. She went on the way he always added more onto her debt at Ouran. She talked about how much she hated the way he looked so polished, the way he walked, that arrogance that never failed to put her off, and yet…

"Yet?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

"I…I love you," she finished, looking up into his eyes. "You need to stay here. You belong here. Japan is your home, not some dorm in America. Which I'm sure it isn't even up to your standards."

He set down one luggage. He seemed a bit staggered by it all. "Well, that is a rather interesting…"

But he never finished his sentence. Haruhi stood on her toes and kissed him on his cheek.

She stepped back from him. She smiled. "What were you saying?"

He wordlessly pulled her closer to him, and that was when he finally said it. Finally said it after all these years. After all those missed opportunities. After he had lost the courage and regained it again.

He wasn't going to run away again. Never ever.

"I love you."

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Personally, I thought it was rather soap opera-ish. And I've never actaully written like this before, so any feedback would be really appreciated.

And as a note, this a one-shot, so I don't plan on writing more unless some brilliant strike of inspiration hits me. Please don't expect anything though.

Thanks for reading!


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